i quit using honda because of the drive shaft break issue. they dont last as long as they should . at least with belt you can see when its time to replace the belt. the shaft just breaks when it wants too.

I started out 12 years ago with the now discontinued HRC215's. Got several years out of a pair of those. Have used HRC216's since then. I always mulch-mow. A year or so ago I had a drive shaft failure, switched to my backup and had the same failure on it the next day. But these mowers were 5 years old. I might average 5 cuts a day, which maybe is not as heavy use as some people put on these.

I later had a drive shaft failure on my newer HRC216 a year ago, after 2 years of use. So it does happen, but has not been a huge problem. Also it is not too hard to learn how to replace these.

For those who have said it doesnt mulch very well, i have to disagree. Today I just went to one of my "not so regular customers" and the lawn was pretty tall. I was mowing about 6 to 8 inches of bermuda and weeds back down to about 3 inches in damp conditions. Now i did have to take half passes and go real slow, but it did get through it. Today i was mowing SALAD with this thing. I wish I had taken a picture of what the yard looked like. its some type of overgrown weed that is a broadleaf plant, and it holds the moisture very well. The HRC went through, but did bog down a few times.

not exactly the best mulching conditions.

if your in the market for a good commercial grade 21 inch mower, and arent sure about the honda....dont look back! If I have problems with driveshafts down the road, i may change my mind, but im very pleased so far!

well it seems like the consensus is pro honda...i was very disappointed when i purchased mine, later to end up buying the exmark...i like the exmark better mainly because it is set up more like the old JD JX85's, the deck is a square, not a rectangle like the honda's...it's a lot harder to turn, it's just so much longer so it's not as nimble...i will say the honda bagged better than any 21 i have ever used, BUT that's because they use two blades that chop the clippings up much finer therefore you can pack more into a bag...hmmm, maybe i can add a blade to the exmark...the honda also wasn't a great mulcher, at least compared to the JX85, it does have two blades though so it's chopping up twice as much at the same time, that takes a lot of HP...all in all i guess the honda wasn't a terrible mower (well built, bagged well, liked the transmission), but i would prefer the exmark over it all day (unless bagging leaves, of course)

Ive had the mower for about two weeks now, and no complaints. I did discover something very important though....here in West Texas, that air filter will need to be cleaned often because of all the dry dusty conditions. Just wanted to throw that out there for others who use them, or are considering one.

Its november, and the season is winding down...but Im hoping the warm weather will stay with us for just a cpl more weeks.